


it hurts to know we're always worlds apart (can you feel it?)

by LilacsAndLilies



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst with a Happy Ending, First Meetings, Gay Harley Keener, Happy Ending, Hurt Peter Parker, I'm Bad At Tagging, Light Angst, M/M, Not Beta Read, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Protective Harley Keener, Soulmates, Temporary Character Death, Time Loop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:02:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25760287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilacsAndLilies/pseuds/LilacsAndLilies
Summary: Peter had been having a great morning until this. Tony wanted him to meet some new kid, but on the way he ran into a bit of a problem.Might be a bigger problem than he thought.
Relationships: Harley Keener & Tony Stark, Harley Keener/Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 21
Kudos: 310
Collections: Peter Parker





	1. Take One

**Author's Note:**

  * For [madasazar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/madasazar/gifts).



> Happy Birthday!!!
> 
> The concept here is that if soulmates are supposed to meet, but something stops them from doing so, the day will reset until they do meet.

Peter was having a great morning. It was the first week of summer, so he got up later than normal. Then he got to sit and actually eat breakfast at a normal speed. He even had the chance to watch TV for a while. It was pure freedom and bliss.

He was supposed to meet Mr. Stark at the tower after lunch. The older man had said he was going to introduce Peter to some kid. He had sounded really excited, so Peter couldn't wait to meet whoever it was. 

At about one in the afternoon, Peter headed out, walking over to Delmar's to grab a sandwich before going to the tower. Of course, Parker luck always seemed to find the best times to strike. This time, it was as he stood in line, waiting for his sandwich. He was glancing around when he noticed a man standing on the rooftop, a drone behind him, and a whole host of weapons on his person. He was covered in animal skins of all sorts and had an almost predatory grin. Peter sighed as he headed out the door. His sandwich would have to wait. 

It only took him a few minutes to switch into his suit and swing up to the rooftop. “Hey Animal Dude, I think at least one of the things you’re wearing is illegal, and it’s not just the weapons.”

The man turned around from where he was looking out at the city. “Spider-Man, how nice of you to finally join us.” 

Peter peered around the man, looking for others. “Us?” 

"Do you not know of me? I am Kraven the Hunter, the world's greatest Hunter. For today's episode, my target shall be you!" He pounced at Peter and began chasing after him. Peter quickly launched himself off the building and swung away. "Karen! Look up Kraven the Hunter!"

Karen's voice was calm, soothing the panic Peter had begun to feel at being hunted. "Kraven the Hunter is a TV show where a man of the same name hunts big game and animals and kills them for fur or other body parts. His brother was the chameleon, a previous enemy of yours."

"So this is for revenge, great." Peter sighed. He had been having such a good day.

* * *

Harley was having a great morning. He reached Stark Tower just in time for a late breakfast. The entire summer was in front of him and he was going to be able to spend it in New York. Only on the pain of death would he admit it, but he absolutely stared out his window as the plane landed like someone in a hallmark movie. Then he had breakfast with the one and only Pepper Potts, and Harley was sure no day could possibly top that. After lunch, Tony had taken him to the lab, showing him around. The older man had mentioned his intern coming around soon, and Harley had simply filed away the information for later as he settled in and began working on his newest project. 

About half an hour later Friday spoke up, shaking Harley out of his almost trance-like focus on his project. “Boss, Spider-Man is on live television.” 

"Put it up." Tony dropped his tools, looking towards the hologram open on his lab table. 

Harley's eyes grew wide. He had always liked Spider-Man. There was something about the hero that Harley felt a personal connection to. He tried to hide his interest, but he couldn’t keep his eyes away for too long, eventually giving up and joining Tony, their eyes glued to the screen, watching the fight unfold.

* * *

Peter had sorely underestimated this Kraven guy. For someone with nothing more than a few guns and other gadgets, he was definitely giving Peter a run for his money. He barely had time to dodge at the moment, let alone plan his next move. At some point, he had completely defaulted to instinct. Peter had tried his best to lose the cameras and after several sharp corners and gymnastics, he had succeeded. But still, the hunter showed no signs of slowing down. Revenge it was then. 

Peter swung into an alleyway, hoping to corner the man into a fight instead of continuing the chase. Once inside Peter dropped to the ground and rolled into a defensive position. Kraven came running in, stopping right in front of Peter and grinning. "I have you in my grasp now." His hands dropped slowly, moving the rest on an object on his belt. 

"Why do you want me so badly? Your cameras are gone, so it's not just for the show."

The man had a tight expression on his face. "Justice for what you did to my brother. For ruining his life." His lips curled into a terrifying smile. "But no matter. You are my prey now."

Peter’s spider-sense went off, but before he could figure out where to go, Krave threw something at him and a box grew around him. Tentatively, he leaned towards the bars keeping him in. A simple touch to the sides revealed a high voltage running through the bars. He jolted back, in shock and a little bit of pain at the touch.

Kraven smirked. "I see you've experienced some of the brilliance of my cage." He stepped forward and Peter instinctively took a step back, only to walk into the back of the cage. He winced as he got shocked again, using all of his strength not to crumple to the floor in pain. "I do not know how someone as weak as you defeated my brother, but you shall die for it nonetheless." He walked closer and Peter began looking around for any way out.

* * *

Harley watched in horror as the video feed cut out when the last camera smashed into a wall. The show cut to some person in a studio apologizing for the delay. The change seemed to knock Tony out of his stupor. "Friday, show the live feed from the suit."

The hologram changed to reveal what appeared to be a first-person view of Kraven. Harley realized this was what Spider-Man was seeing. He let himself look in awe for a second as Spider-Man swung into an alleyway.

"What is he doing, he's cornering himself?" Tony jumped out of the chair. He tapped his watch, the one that stored his suit, muttering to himself all the while. "I should have gone earlier, but he would have tried to say he could handle this, why didn’t I start earlier?" He turned to Harley and raised his voice. "Stay put. I don’t need to worry about another one of my kids." Harley's eyes grew wide at the statement, his shock more than enough to quell his protests until Tony had a chance to get out. 

_ Kid? _ Harley stared at the space Tony had occupied. The confirmation that Tony thought of him as his kid and the information that Tony thought the same of Spider-Man was a lot to take in. Eventually, he snapped out of it, putting it aside to consider later. Then he turned to face the hologram again only to see Spider-Man trapped inside a cage. His heart rate sped up as he watched with a tense expression. He knew Tony couldn’t hear him but he couldn’t help but whisper the man on, anything to save the trapped hero.

* * *

Peter had tried everything he could think of. Nothing was working. Kraven slowly crept closer, a predatory expression on his face, fitting for his theme. “At last, I have you in my clutches, my claws.” He pulled out a knife, holding it menacingly as he crept ever closer. “I will enjoy my victory.”

At that moment Karen spoke up. “Mr. Stark is on his way.”

Peter stood up taller, changing his plan from escape to stalling. A spark of hope lit inside of him. He wasn’t helpless anymore. He just had to last until Mr. Stark got there. “Isn’t this unfair? All I did was put your brother in prison.”

Kraven paused, scowling at Peter. “You destroyed his life. And for that, I shall destroy yours. I have studied you, as I study all of my prey. Your cheap taunts will not stop me.” Peter’s spider senses went off, but there was nowhere he could go. His eyes grew wide as Kraven pressed a button on his belt and lunged at Peter.

* * *

Harley watched in horror as a knife came straight below the view of the camera. The hologram grew staticky as Spider-Man fell to the ground with a thud. A pit formed in Harley’s stomach as his eyesight grew hazy with the video. The last thing he saw was Tony’s anguished face as he showed up on the scene, the vision growing blurrier before he eventually collapsed. 


	2. Take Two

When Harley woke up, it was in his bed at home to the sound of a blaring alarm. This, in and of itself wasn’t unusual. It was only after he properly woke up and the events he just witnessed came back to him that he started panicking. How was he here? How was he back home? He reached a hand for his bedside, scrambling to grab his phone. The date was bright and clear, June 21st. The day he was going to New York. He paused for a second before searching up Spider-Man. No articles showed up about any injuries. He was still alive and well. Harley squeezed his eyes shut, trying to understand what happened. His heart was pounded and every time he closed his eyes he saw Spider-Man in the cage.

Everyone was prepared to repeat a day of their life. It was normal, expected. One day you would be destined to meet your soulmate, and every time you failed to meet, the day would reset until eventually, you did. Harley had heard stories of how magical it felt to touch your soulmate for the first time. He had heard stories of people who spent lifetimes repeating the same day, waiting to find the person that was meant to be their other half.

Harley was a romantic at heart, no matter how much he tried to deny it. He couldn’t wait to meet his soulmate. So waking up to a repeated day seemed like his time had finally come. But he never went to sleep. The day never ended. It had to end before it could start again. So what happened here? Spider-Man’s body lying on the ground flashed through his head again. It was just a nightmare, that was all.

His second alarm went off and Harley remembered that he had a plane to catch. He rushed through getting ready, pushing the thought out of his head until he was settled on the plane. As soon as they were in the air, Harley pulled out his phone, doing his own research on day resets and soulmates.

Several news articles and research documents later Harley finally found what he was looking for. The title flashed on his screen.  _ If your soulmate dies on the day you were supposed to meet, then the day resets the moment they die. _

Harley took a sharp breath. The last thing he saw was Spider-Man bleeding out on the ground. Did Spider-Man die? And did that mean Spider-Man was his soulmate? Harley's head was swimming and he barely noticed as the plane landed.

* * *

Peter opened his eyes to a blank ceiling, a quick glance at his side table said it was 9:00 AM. As he started to regain consciousness, he jolted up, sitting straight in his bed as his hands flew to his neck. He was fine. What had happened?

Peter’s first thought was, of course, his soulmate. There was no other reason for a day to reset. He couldn’t help but feel a little lucky. After all, not meeting them gave him another chance to avoid serious injury. He had probably fallen unconscious or something from his wounds and didn't wake up for the rest of the day. It worked, as a theory. 

He knew, logically, anyone else in his place would go looking for his soulmate, so Peter surprised them all, as well as himself, by making the decision not to look for them. After all, if he didn’t meet them, he could keep doing the day over until he succeeded. 

May had already left for work, leaving Peter at home to talk through his plans out loud as he washed the dishes and made himself breakfast. Every once in a while he reached up at his neck to remind himself that he was ok, that Kraven had hurt him but it had all been reversed. 

This time, instead of watching TV, he began to research Kraven the Hunter. The man said he had studied Peter, that he knew Peter’s strengths and weaknesses and strategies. It was only fair for him to know the same. He watched dozens of clips from Kraven's show and read news articles about the man and began piecing together a picture of who he was and how he worked. As every minute passed, Peter grew more disgusted with this man who seemed to have no value for life outside of how they could die. 

His phone alarm went off at one o’ clock. Peter’s goal was to avoid interacting with anyone to make sure he didn't run into his soulmate, so sadly, Delmar's wasn't part of the plan anymore. Instead, he put on his suit and swung over to the same rooftop he first met the villain on. 

Peter dropped onto the roof. Kraven was standing in the same position as the first time. "Kraven."

The man turned around, but there was a hint of surprise on his face. “Spider-Man, how nice of you to finally join us.”

* * *

Harley made his way through breakfast and conversation, trying to say the same things he did the previous time, making a few changes where he regretted his words. The first time, it had been a beautiful morning that Harley had enjoyed, but now, everything felt tainted by the growing worry building up inside of him. What was happening to him? He blinked and he saw that knife lunging towards him.

He couldn’t focus when they were in the lab. His tool remained untouched as he stared out into the nothingness.

When Tony noticed, he dropped his tools, moving over to comfort Harley instead. "Hey kid, what's wrong?"

Before Harley could respond, Friday spoke up. “Boss, Spider-Man is on live television.” 

"Put it up." Tony dropped into the seat next to Harley, this time watching it through the holograms on Harley's desk instead of his own. 

Harley watched as fear and realization washed over him. This wasn’t some bad dream. This was his reality and he needed to fix it. "Tony, this is going to sound crazy but I have something I need to tell you."

Tony’s eyes remained glued to the video feed. "How urgent is it?" 

"Very." Harley had a solemn look on his face as Tony took one last glance at the live footage before turning to face Harley. "I've lived this day before."

Tony took a sharp breath. "You did feel a little stiff and rehearsed earlier."

Harley turned to the side, not meeting Tony in the eyes. "Yeah. Anyway, the reason my day reset is because my soulmate died. I didn’t get to finish the day because the moment he died, the day reset."

Harley had a faint part of him light up at the lack of reaction at the he/him pronouns, but the victory was hollow and meaningless with everything going on. 

"And who was it?"

"Spider-Man."

Tony’s eyes grew wide as he scrambled out of the chair and pressed his watch. His suit wrapped around him. "Stay put. I don’t need to worry about another one of my kids."

Harley thought he would be prepared for the statement this time but it still left him reeling. He wants to help but he knew he was unskilled, he didn't have what it took to help. He couldn’t afford to make things worse by meeting his soulmate properly and still letting them die. At least now they had the reset. 

He tried to force back the desire to go help and instead settled for watching the feed.

* * *

Peter was once again swinging through the city with Kraven and his drones on hot pursuit. So far, everything was working on the same as before. He crashed one of the three drones, turning back and smiling. He couldn’t outrun him, Kraven trained himself and his extreme stamina. What he had to do was corner Kraven instead of being cornered, trap him in a web. 

“Mr. Stark is on his way.” Karen's voice filled his mask. The sudden shock and confusion left him weakened. He slowed down, only picking up again when his spidey senses alerted him to an arrow as it flew past his ear. 

He didn't call Mr. Stark, so how was his arrival now earlier than before? Peter suddenly remembered he wasn't the only one repeating the day. But how would his soulmate have found a way to tell  _ the Tony Stark _ ? Peter's memories soon cleared to remind him that Mr. Stark had wanted to introduce him to a kid. What if the kid was his soulmate?

The arrows kept flying past him and Peter filed the question away for later. His research earlier revealed that Kraven's arrows were coated in deadly poison, the type that killed almost instantaneously and weakened immune systems. Kraven definitely had a special type for Spider-Man’s well known healing factor. 

Peter kept swinging forward. "Karen, patch me into Mr. Stark's comms."

"Of course Peter."

He heard a beep as they connected. "Mr. Stark."

"Peter!" It sounded like a cry of relief. "I'm coming."

"How did you know I needed help?"

The line went silent for a few seconds. "Your soulmate told me." Then quieter Peter heard. "I can't believe you two are soulmates."

Peter successfully crashed another drone. "Is it the kid you wanted to introduce me to today?"

"Got it in one kid." Tony’s voice sounded distracted and Peter felt worry build in him.

"Mr. Stark? What's wrong?" He saw Iron Man turn the corner, flying towards Peter and Kraven from the opposite direction.

"What do you remember from your last time doing this?"

"I- I remember getting hurt. I assume I fell unconscious after that or something because that's the last thing I remember." The dread felt warranted now. He turned back to see that Kraven had hopped onto the third drone and was not pursuing him in the air.

Tony took a deep breath. "You didn't fall unconscious, you died."

Peter missed where he aimed his web and he dropped, only barely pulling himself back up before he hit the ground. "Oh." The news felt like quicksand, like he was trapped and could move out of the headspace. Vaguely he felt his spider-sense go off, but he didn’t really notice, his mind focused on what Tony said.  _ He had died.  _ All of a sudden the reset felt luckier than ever. 

Tony finally reached the two of them and yelled, "Watch out!"

Mr. Stark's voice snapped him out of his trance, but it was too little too late as Kraven aimed an arrow straight at his heart. Peter’s only thought as he felt the piercing pain and fell to the ground was  _ at least I get to try again. _

* * *

Harley watched in horror as Spider-Man fell to the ground. As his vision grew black he made himself a promise to join the fight next time. 


	3. Take Three

This time, the first thing Peter did was process the fact that he had apparently died _twice_. Surprisingly death didn't hurt as much as he expected. 

He had made a mistake, he let what Mr. Stark told him blind him to the moment, and he failed. Mr. Stark had been an unexpected factor, and that ruined his plans. But no matter, this time he would prepare for that. He pushed his own apparent death to the side. That was something he could deal with later. 

As soon as he got ready for the morning he called Mr. Stark. The call rang twice before he eventually picked up. "Pete?"

"Mr. Stark!" He paused. He had not thought this call through. "What's the name of the kid you wanted me to meet today?"

"Harley, why?"

"He's my soulmate."

The line went silent. Peter worried if he said the wrong thing. "Never in a million years would I have seen that coming." Another pause. "Why didn't you guys get the chance to meet?"

"This guy named Kraven the Hunter. I'm his latest target." Peter knew he had to be careful. If he mentioned that he died, Mr. Stark would never let him come.

"I remember hearing about him." His voice got quieter as he said, "Friday, search him up." 

“The last two times, he got away. So I have to make sure he’s in jail before I meet Harley and break the loop.” Peter let himself test out the name. _Harley_. It felt like it fit.

“He’s going to be here in a few minutes. I’ll see what he has to say. So do you need any help with this guy?”

“Yeah.” Peter loathed to admit he needed help, but it wasn’t just him suffering here. His soulmate kept getting the news that their soulmate died, and Peter didn’t want that to happen any more times if he could stop it. 

“Alright. So why don’t you come by-”

“I can’t. Harley will be there.” 

“Right. I’m going to have to act messenger between the two of you, won’t I?” 

Peter grinned. “Probably.” He couldn’t believe this was his life. His soulmate was out there, he knew who it was, and he was still avoiding them. 

Tony gave him a long-suffering sigh. “Alright underoos, just let me know where you want me and when, and I’ll be there.” 

“Thanks Mr. Stark!” He smiled and put down the phone. They could do it this time.

* * *

Harley felt frustrated when he woke up. Frustrated that he was back in his room again, frustrated that he had to keep doing this over and over, frustrated that he couldn’t help, frustrated that he had to keep watching his soulmate _die_ when he didn’t even have a chance to meet them. 

The moment he got to New York he headed straight to Tony. “This is my third time doing this day.” 

Tony just gave him an amused look. “I know. Spider-Man told me. You can tell me everything over breakfast.”

Harley nodded as he walked with Tony into the kitchen, not needing the directions. Pepper wasn’t there this time. Tony must have told her not to come. He settled into his seat, eating the same food for the third time in a row. “What did Spider-Man tell you?”

“That this guy named Kraven the Hunter is hunting him. And that he needs my help.” Tony’s phone buzzed and he looked down at it. “And I just got a text from him saying to meet him at Delmars at one.”

“Delmars?”

“A sandwich place he eats at.” It was an insignificant detail, but Harley lapped it up. He wanted to know everything he could about his soulmate. He still hadn’t really processed the fact that Spider-Man was his soulmate. His soulmate was a superhero who regularly saved lives. He was like the prize gem of New York, a hero for the common people in the way the avengers never were. Don’t get him wrong, Tony Stark had always been his hero, but it was in a more untouchable way. Spider-Man felt familiar, even if he was halfway across the country. Apparently there was more than one reason for that connection. 

“What’s he like?”

“Spider-Man?” Tony looked confused and the sudden change in topic. Harley nodded. “He’s a few months older than you, really smart, really endearing, You’ll like him.” 

Harley hadn’t even considered the age part. Spider-Man was a teenager. He was still in high school and he chose to spend his free time protecting his city. How was he ever going to be good enough for someone that good?

He pushed the thought aside. First things first, they had to keep Spider-Man alive and Kraven in jail. He could get to know them later. “What’s his plan?”

“Don’t know yet. He said he’ll text me.”

“I-” Harley didn’t know if he should say this, but he was tired of sitting on the sidelines. “I have a suit. I built it myself, based on what I saw from your suit. I’ve practiced with it before, in Rose Hill.”

“No.” Tony seemed to see where this was going. “You’ve never been out in a situation like this before. It’s _dangerous_.” 

“But Tony-”

“No.”

Harley stood up, slamming his hands on the counter. “But he _died_ . You want me to sit back and watch my soulmate die for the third time?” Harley knew he was yelling but he was desperate. He was tired of watching his soulmate, the person the universe said was _made for him_ , die in front of him. He couldn’t do it.

“He what?” Tony’s voice was deadly calm. “He didn’t tell me that.”

“He-” The moment was over and Harley slumped back into his seat. “I don’t think he knew the first time.” 

“I’m texting him.”

“No!” Harley reached over, grabbing the man’s phone from his hand. “Don’t tell him.” 

“Why not?” 

“Because last time, you told him he died while you were fighting this guy, and that, _that moment_ was the moment he faltered, the moment a poison arrow struck his heart and he fell down to the ground. We. Do. Not. Tell. Him.” Harley’s glare was full of steely resolve. He refused to back down.

Tony looked at him for a few seconds before taking a deep breath. “He already knows now then. If I told him last time.” 

“He knows about the first time, but he doesn’t need the reminder, doesn’t need the confirmation that it happened again. Who knows if he remembers that part.”

"Alright. We don’t tell him. But he’s going to want to fight.” 

Harley scoffed. “I don’t think you could have stopped him anyway.”

Tony gave him a look that Harley couldn’t quite recognize. Tony had been staring at him all morning and while Harley would never admit it, it felt weird, like he was missing all of the corner pieces of a puzzle. “What is it?”

“Both of you, you’ve never met before, and yet you already seem to care so much. Very rarely do soulmates miss meeting the first time, but they always say that even without meeting, you start to understand the person, and watching you two, I’m starting to believe that. I never considered that you could be soulmates, but now, just watching both of you, it makes complete sense.”

Harley didn’t even know where to start processing that. “You and Pepper met the first time?”

“Yup.” Tony smiled, clearly recalling fond memories.

“When you say understand each other…”

“You know his heroics, his stubbornness, his heart. That’s the most important part already. Both of you have been building your own plans by yourselves, you’ve never talked, never met, but somehow they seem to mesh together.” 

Harley smiled inwardly. Somehow hearing from Tony that they felt like they would work well together meant more than knowing it was destined.

Tony’s phone beeped and the man grabbed it out of Harley’s hand. “It’s Peter.” He scrolled through the barrage of texts that came at him. “He wants to try to catch him unaware, capture him before he can do anything. He said to come with containment devices.”

“He’s trying to trap the hunter.” Harley grinned.

“I just hope it works.” Tony gave him a grim look and Harley dove back into eating his breakfast.

* * *

It was quarter till one and Peter was crouched on the roof of a building near where Kraven had just shown up. It was a little worrying that the man knew Delmar’s was a place he went frequently. He made a note to avoid the place for a while. 

He was hidden behind the wall of someone’s roof, out of sight of the villain. Tony was supposed to be here any minute and they could start his plan. This time he wouldn’t worry about the cameras or the external factors, all that mattered was catching Kraven. Hopefully, it would work out.

* * *

When it came time for Tony to leave to help Peter, Harley just got up and started following him.

Tony stopped. “What are you doing?”

“I’m coming with you.”

“Harley, you can’t come.” He gave Harley a stern look but the blond wouldn’t back down.

“So you want me to stay back while you fight someone who has killed my soulmate before?”

“That’s my point! It’s too much of a risk. What if either of you talk to each other? Or touch? That breaks the loop, and right now, we’re relying on that.” 

“I’m coming.”

Tony looked up at the ceiling. “I’m sorry.” The suit formed around him and he took off. “Friday, lock down the lab. Don’t let Harley leave.”

“Tony!” Harley yelled at him, but the hero was already gone, straight out of a window he had in the lab for this exact purpose. He wanted to scream, wanted to beg Friday to let him go, wanted to do _something_ that wasn’t just being locked in here. But he couldn’t, so he resigned himself to watching instead. “Friday, please show a split-screen of the live feed from Spider-Man and Iron Man’s suits.” He tripped over the hero’s name. It had been all morning, but he never asked Tony what Spider-Man’s actual name was. Why didn’t he ask? 

“Of course Harley.” Friday’s voice brought him back from his thoughts. The feed showed up on his lab table and he sat down to watch.

* * *

The battle was not going how Peter had expected, but it wasn’t going terribly either, so he called that a win. Tony had shown up right on time, but it appeared that they weren’t as sneaky as they hoped.

The moment Tony threw one of the devices at Kraven, the man simply stepped to the side, letting the nanotech cage fall to the ground and capture some random citizen. “Oh, would you look at that? Not only do I have the pleasure of hunting Spider-Man, but I get the opportunity to take down Iron Man, the prime example of a specimen belonging to the elite, a species I particularly despise. I shall enjoy taking you _both_ down.”

“Thank you for calling me a fine specimen.” Tony launched one of his blasters at Kraven, and the fight began.

Peter came out from where he was hiding, launching his webs at Kraven. The man spread the fight across rooftops, leaping from one to another, giving both Peter and Tony a run for their money. “Did you think I wouldn’t have prepared for Iron Man? It is no secret that you protect the bug. I told you, I study my prey. I prepare for all eventualities.” He stopped running and turned back, grabbing his bow and launching an arrow at Tony. 

Tony flew to the side, but the arrowhead opened, causing an explosion and knocking Tony down. He fell onto one of the rooftops, leaving Peter alone in his pursuit of Kraven. Peter threw a look at Tony, who was still on the ground. A voice came from over his comms. “I’m fine. I’ll try to surprise him, you keep him occupied."

“You know, technically I’m the one chasing you right now.” He threw a web bomb at Kraven, successfully sticking his foot to a brick on the roof. “And it looks like you’ve fallen into my trap.”

Kraven just pulled out a knife and cut through it, before grabbing another one of his arrows. “Make no mistake, puny insect. I am the hunter here. I am always in control.”

“Hey! How many times do I have to tell people? I’m an arachnid!” Peter swerved to avoid one of Kraven’s exploding bombs. 

“You talk too much.” Kraven was firing arrows at a rate that Peter was struggling to avoid. 

“Pot meet kettle.” In a quieter voice, Peter continued. “Karen, taser webs.” He aimed straight at Kraven. “You’re going down!” 

Tony’s voice patched over the comms. “Alright, I’m coming.” 

Out of the corner of Peter’s eye, he could see Iron Man flying high above both of them, his gauntlet aimed at Kraven as a device dropped down and trapped the villain in a cage similar to what he had trapped Peter in their first time around. Peter smiled at the irony. 

“You!” He looked up at Iron Man. “No matter, you haven’t won yet.” He looked over at Peter with an evil smirk on his face. 

Peter was currently almost three buildings away, courtesy of his evasive maneuvers to stay out of range of Kraven’s bombs. The villain had succeeded in causing the battle to span multiple buildings, constantly dodging from one to the other. 

Peter began to swing over when his spidey senses went off. Kraven had thrown what looked like a shuriken at Peter, cutting all of his webs. He shot a web at the building to catch himself, but a second shuriken came flying at him, cutting his second one. There wasn’t enough time for him to swing up, so he closed his eyes and braced himself for impact with the ground, comfortable in the fact that he would just wake up again this morning when someone swooped under him, lifting him up. 

He timidly opened his eyes, blinking as if he couldn't’ believe he was still alive. He looked up to see someone in an Iron Man suit holding him up almost bridal style and carrying him over to the rooftop. At first, Peter thought it was Tony, but the suit was the wrong colors and it seemed older. It wasn't made out of the same nanotechnology that the new bleeding edge armor was. "Who are you?" He got no response. 

Tony was busy pulling all of the weapons he could off of Kraven's person when Peter and the mysterious Iron Figure landed on the roof. Apparently he had decided this new person could be trusted with Peter’s safety. Tony finished grabbing the last weapon before turning to face them, confusion clear on his face as he let himself process the new suit. "What?" He looked over the armor. "But how?" He took another step closer and Peter could pinpoint the moment that the light bulb went off in Tony’s head. His mask retracted and Peter could see the full shock and anger on Tony’s face. "Harley, what the hell are you doing here?"

Peter, who had now found his own footing on the ground, turned to face the figure in shock. "Harley?" 

The other boy didn’t respond. Tony just sighed, resting his head in his hands. "Go back to the tower, we'll sort this out there. Peter, med bay. I'll join you after putting this guy away."

Peter opened his mouth to protest, but Tony shot him a look and Peter couldn't find it in him to argue. He took another look at Kraven. The villain had a wounded and angry expression on his face, almost like a cornered animal. Peter was glad this time it all went well. He was barely hurt, just a few light burns from the bombs that would be gone within an hour or two. 

He shifted his gaze to the iron suit standing next to him. It looked emotionless and plain. "I don't know why you're not talking to me, but meet me in the medbay when you get out of the suit."

He launched a web at a nearby building and began heading towards the Tower.

* * *

Harley threw a look at Kraven and Tony. He couldn’t believe it was over. He thought Kraven deserved worse than this, worse for trying to kill Spider-Man, but his only priority right now was focusing on his very much alive soulmate. He trusted Tony to deal with Kraven.

Tony was just waiting there for the police to come and help take the villain away. He walked over to Harley. "How did you get passed Friday?" His voice was calm but Harley could hear the anger and disappointment behind it.

"Told her you and Peter were in danger. I could see it in your suit feeds. She let me go help."

Tony sighed. "We needed you. Spider needed you here. So I can't be too mad, but next time Harley-"

"I'm not putting away the suit."

Tony closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why are my kids so determined to be heroes?"

"We just want to be like you."

Tony looked at him before sighing. "You did good, kid." He smiled at Harley. "We can start training later, just promise me you'll listen."

Harley nodded his head excitedly. "Of course."

"Well then, shoo, go meet your soulmate."

Harley grinned and saluted Tony before setting off for the tower. He flew back to the lab and began pulling himself out of the armor. "I saved him Friday. It worked." Even his exhaustion couldn't mask his glee at having succeeded. "And now I get to meet my soulmate."

"Congratulations Harley. I am glad you succeeded."

Harley smiled up at the camera in the corner of the room as he packed away his suit and left it next to his lab table. Then he walked out of the door before pausing. "Friday, where is the medbay?"

"2 floors down, straight down the hall."

"Thanks."

Harley followed her instructions, quickly making his way to a hallway of rooms. One of the first rooms down had a tacky red and blue theme on it and said Spider-baby written on the front. Harley grinned at the design. It was just like Tony to do something like this.

He felt nerves build up inside him. He had held Spider-Man in his arms before, but they had never touched, never actually seen each other. This was going to be the first time. He took a deep breath before swinging the door open. 

Inside, the room was just as decorated as the door. It had tacky posters all over and felt more like a bedroom than a medical room. On the bed in the center sat the most gorgeous boy Harley had ever seen.

He raised a hand and waved it. "Hey." It felt awkward and he had to force himself not to retract the wave and immediately leave the room. 

"Harley?" The boy got up, walking towards him. He had a hopeful look on his face.

"That's me." He grinned in response, holding out a hand for the other boy to shake.

He ignored it in favor of pulling Harley into a hug. It felt like a wave of electricity passed between him and he just knew this felt right. They were made for each other. They were made to be together. The other boy’s head fit perfectly in the crook of his neck as he tugged Harley closer. "Thank you for saving me." The other boy was whispering but Harley could hear every word in perfect clarity.

And what was he supposed to say to that? "I couldn't watch you die, again."

"I would have done it again if it meant in the end, you would be here." The brunet slowly pulled away. "We've had a couple of crazy days."

Harley chuckled lightly. "You could say that."

"So maybe we should start fresh." Harley cocked his head to the side in confusion. "I'm Peter Parker. I'm sixteen years old and I spend my nights swinging around the city in a red and blue suit. "

"I'm Harley Keener. I'm sixteen and I make potato guns in my free time." Harley inwardly counted a win when he saw Peter smile at the statement.

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

Harley smiled. "The pleasure is all mine." He could tell that this, _this moment_ right here, was the start of something extraordinary. And he couldn’t wait to see what came next.

**Author's Note:**

> Talk to me on tumblr @lilacsandlilies4  
> or on discord @LilacsAndLilies#4691


End file.
